


something in the way you roll your eyes

by Waistcoat35



Series: they slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered [5]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Fluff, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Protective Richard, Strong Independent Butler Thomas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24597580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waistcoat35/pseuds/Waistcoat35
Summary: “I’ll walk you home.”
Relationships: Thomas Barrow/Richard Ellis
Series: they slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1772770
Comments: 6
Kudos: 72





	something in the way you roll your eyes

"I'll walk you home," Richard says, as they exit the pub in the village. He's off for a few days and has come to Thomas, rather than vice versa, because he's promised to stay in York for a few days to celebrate his mother's birthday. It's been some time since they'd met up for Thomas' half day, and one drink had turned into a few, as had the hours, until now, when they're walking - well, slightly stumbling in Thomas' case, he's somewhat less adept at holding his liquor - out the door and back towards the Abbey. However, in regards to Thomas relinquishing his independence for a little while, they're not all the way there yet, and Richard can see the start of a small frown on Thomas' brow at the idea of him needing to be _walked home_.

"No need. I'll get there." 

"I-" Richard resists the urge to sigh. He's been to war, and thus knows when he's approaching perilous territory. "I know you will. But I want to walk you home." 

Now he sees something else - the spark of suspicion that's been sadly present in Thomas whenever Richard offers more than Thomas thinks he can take, or when he thinks the offer is too good to lack an ulterior motive. "What," Thomas grits, like it's an argument he's tired of having, "so a few drinks and suddenly I'm not to be trusted to get myself back in one piece? Because I couldn't last time?" Richard's pretty sure his eyebrows have skyrocketed. So that's it. What it's about.

"No," he says firmly, and stops walking so that Thomas has to as well (partly because he's been half-leaning on Richard every few steps or so before wandering away for a bit and returning again). "That's not it." Thomas blinks at him blankly a few times, until he's forced to elaborate. "Thomas, I don't think you're some half-witted fool who goes and gets himself into scrapes that I have to come and clean up. I know that's what you're worried about, and I _don't think that_." 

"Regular telepath, aren't you," Thomas mutters, but Richard pays it no mind. He knows what is genuine and what is a deflection, and now is no different. 

"I know you're more than capable of fending for yourself," he says, "because you've told me about all the long years that you've done it. And you've managed it, and come out alright in the end." A tilt of the head now, Thomas unsure if it's praise or not. "I know I tease you - call you silly. But you weren't. Not then, when I came and got you out, and not now." (Because it's not silly, for Thomas to want to not have to be so careful, once in a while. What happened that night wasn't his fault, and it wasn't the fault of anyone else in that bar.) 

Thomas has relaxed slightly, hackles no longer raised as they are when he feels he's being threatened, or tricked, or lied to, or mocked - or, god forbid, pitied. He looks more thoughtful than offended now, and Richard knows he's done something right. 

"So, yes. I know you can look out for yourself. I'm just not sure that you're very bothered about looking _after_ yourself. And I want to look after you. I want to have your back so that you don't have to look over your shoulder every five minutes, so you don't have to run yourself ragged fighting everyone and everything off all on your own. Just because you can, you shouldn't have to." There's a certain slump to Thomas' posture now, his expression almost identical to that night - surprised, confused, chastened. Richard decides he's said enough, slowly sets off again at an rambling pace until Thomas follows.

Thomas fusses a bit, on the way. Despite his attempts at remaining stony-faced, Richard knows he is a fussed, at heart. "You've got to get the last train," and "it's hardly any time for me to walk, a few minutes" and "I don't want to be trouble". 

Richard parries the claims with "I'll get the train, especially if it's such a short walk as you claim." With "A few more minutes I can avoid having to let you go, then." With "You could never be any trouble to me, and I hope you know how much," and "You're my favourite type of trouble, anyhow." 

Eventually, they get to the tree-lined path that exits the village and, eventually, will lead to the Abbey. The streetlamps are few and far between, only the odd one when the path gets close enough to a cottage, and the rest of the way is dark and winding and filled with twisting tree roots and the ask-and-answer calls of tawny owls. It's not a path Richard would like Thomas to have to walk alone. They step into the dark together, and before they can get too far in Richard offers his arm. 

"Let me walk you home?" 

Thomas takes it.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for that getting a bit deeper than the others, but it just turned out that way 😅 hope you all enjoyed it anyway! Although I specialise in fluff, Thomas is always, I think, going to be a little bit spiky, especially with all he's been put through, and Richard is here partly to help him realise both that he doesn't have to fend for himself alone and that it's okay to be a little bit spiky, sometimes, because he's still loveable for it.


End file.
